A shocking new poll has Nikki Haley trailing Biden by 17 POINTS in a head-to-head battle for the White House… but still trailing Trump by 40 points in the primaries

From an opinion poll by the Wall Street JournalFormer US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley came far ahead of President Joe Biden in a general election contest by a much wider margin than Trump polls against the current president.

Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, showed she would be a formidable opponent to Joe Biden in the general election, with a 17-point lead over the incumbent leader compared to Trump's four-point lead over him.

Haley began rising in the polls after the first Republican debate and has kept that momentum going into last week's fourth debate. Haley is a more centrist Republican than some others in the field and has consistently posted solid electoral numbers in the general election polls.

Against the current president, Haley would receive 51 percent of the vote, according to the WSJ, while Biden would receive only 34 percent. Such a defeat would be the worst loss for Biden that any presidential candidate has suffered in the past four decades.

The same poll shows former President Trump earning 47 percent of the vote, compared to Biden's 43 percent.

Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley showed her potential electability in a WSJ poll, putting her 17 points ahead of Joe Biden in a general election contest

Despite Trump's smaller potential margin of victory, he remains about 40 points ahead of Haley in the polls, with an estimated 60 percent of Republican voters backing him.

These numbers could well be insurmountable for Haley or any other Republican in the race as the Iowa caucus — the opening day of the primary season — approaches.

The poll also found that even if Trump were convicted of a crime – he is currently charged with 91 crimes in four criminal prosecutions taking place in the US – he would trail Biden by just one point.

The poll puts Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – who is roughly tied with Haley in the primaries – in a deadlock with Biden, both with 45 percent of the vote.

DeSantis once performed well enough to be considered a realistic threat for a third Trump candidacy — those numbers have not held up. DeSantis continues to say that “people, not the polls” will decide the election and appears to be sticking with what he hopes will be a strong showing in Iowa.

Heading into the official primary season, Biden's approval rating is hovering at an all-time low of 37 percent, compared to his unfavorable rating of 61 percent, according to the WSJ.

Since Haley's rise in the polls has earned her some high-profile, strong endorsements from leaders on Wall Street and the grassroots conservative movement, she has become the target of an increased number of attacks from the rest of the field.

The same poll that showed Haley's advantage over Biden showed Trump with a four-point lead over the incumbent president.

Since Haley's rise in the polls has earned her some high-profile, strong endorsements from leaders on Wall Street and the grassroots conservative movement, she has become the target of an increased number of attacks from the rest of the field.

During last week's Republican primary debate, where Donald Trump was not present, she was criticized and labeled a corporate sellout

Lead candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, with whom Haley has consistently sparred, literally labeled Haley “corrupt” in the middle of his debate performance

During last week's debate, DeSantis accused Haley of not supporting a ban on gender-affirming medical care for young people and of opposing bathroom laws when she was governor, both of which she denied.

And he wondered whether she would act in the best interests of ordinary Americans or Wall Street donors.

“We know from her history that Nikki will give in to those big donors when push comes to shove, and that is not acceptable,” DeSantis said.

In addition, DeSantis claimed that Haley has said there should be “no limits on legal immigration, and corporate CEOs should tailor policies accordingly.”

'That is not true. Stop lying,” Haley shot back.

Ramaswamy hit her even harder, also citing her support from major donors and her time on the Boeing Co. board. brought up, suggesting she was bankrupt when she left office.

“The bottom line is you are corrupt,” he said.

Haley was ready for that offensive line.

“And when it comes to the donors who support me, they're just jealous,” she told the crowd. “They wish they supported them.”